Plastic book binder



April 30, 1957 T. w. WINSTEAD 2, ,6

PLASTIC BOOK BINDER Filed Feb. 13, 1953 v, u a

INVENTOR THOMAS W. WINSTEAD ATTORNEYS United States Patent ice PatentedApr. 30, 1957 PLASTIC BOOK BINDER Thomas W. Winstead, Baltimore, Md.,assignor to Hedwin Corporation, Baltimore, Md., a corporation ofMaryland Application February 13, 1953, Serial No. 336,765

6 Claims. (Cl. 281-29) This invention relates generally to bookbindingand more particularly to an improved book binder and the method offorming the same.

The art of bookbinding extends back to early times and modern daypractices are a far cry from, and a great improvement thereover.However, when ornamentation is combined with the most modern bookbindingpractices, a number of difiiculties of a very practical nature arise.Among these are a difiiculty of producing ornamental book binderswithout unduly increasing their cost, an inability to produce a varietyof designs when costs are kept down, and a lack of flexibility ofmanufacture in producing book binders embodying critical reinforcing orvariations in decoration, embossing and printing.

Accordingly, the chief object of the present invention is to provide animproved book binder and method of forming the same which will obviatethe above-mentioned difliculties characterizing known book binders andmethods of forming the same.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide aplastic binder for books which may be readily used with standardbookbinding procedures.

A further important object of the present invention is to provide aplastic binder for books which may be readily glued or stapled theretoand sealed to a plastic cover compatible therewith.

A still further important object of the invention is to provide aplastic binder for books and method of forming the same which willpermit a wide variation in the ornamentation of, printing on, andreinforcing of the covers and back thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved book binderwhich is adapted for use with conventional book binding processes orwith loose-leaf sheets and their retaining rings and supports.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent during the course of the following description.

In its broadest aspects, the invention contemplates a vinyl coatedfabric which may be glued or stapled to a conventional sheet assembly asin bookbinding procedures or fastened to a ring binder mechanism andthen joined by heat scaling to a cover assembly of plastic which iscompatible with the vinyl coated fabric, the covers being ornamented,printed or reinforced in any of a great variety of ways.

In the drawings, I have shown different embodiments of the invention. Inthese showings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of one form of the invention showing itsuse with a loose-leaf binder device;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view thereof to anenlarged scale taken on the line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view of a modified formof the invention as used with a loose-leaf ring binder.

Referring to the drawings and particularly to the form of the inventionillustrated in Figures 1 and 2, numeral terials which are embossed asdesired for strength as at 27 or for ornamentation and with printing asshown at 29. The hinge 28 is formed of a fabric coated on one side witha thermoplastic such as vinyl and is secured to the covers 22 and 24 byheat sealing. Being compatible, the two plastic surfaces bond. It willbe appreciated that either one or both surfaces of the covers 22 and 24may be embossed in an identical or differing manner. The pagescomprising the book may now be glued, stapled or otherwise secured tothe hinge 28 as in present bookbinding practice.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the hinge 28 comprises the means ofattaching loose-leaf pages and their support ing device 30 to the bookbinder 20. The mechanism 30 is of conventional structure comprising anelongated arch portion 32, a backing piece 34 which is clamped to thearch 32 by means of prongs, etc., and a plurality of spacedleaf-engaging rings 36 which may be opened at will by pressure upon theupturned ends of the arch 32.

The vinyl plastic coated hinge 28 is clamped between the arch 32 and thebacking piece 34 during the assembly of the device 30 and the hinge isthen secured to the inner edges of the covers by heat sealing. Thebinder back 26 is then heat sealed to the outer edges of the cover tocomplete this form of the binder. The covers 22 and 24 may be formed ofa flexible or a relatively stiff thermoplastic, as desired.

The structure of the embodiment as shown in Figure 3 is identical withthat just described with the exception that the covers 122 and 124 andthe binder back 126 are integral and all formed of one sheet of anembossed vinyl thermoplastic.

It will now be readily apparent that the various forms of bindercomprising the present invention constitute an important advance in theart in that a more economical binder enabling a greater variation indecoration, embossing, printing and reinforcing is thus provided. Thevarious elements of the binders 20 may, of course, be formed in anydesired thickness or dimension combinations. While I have referred tothe use of a vinyl thermoplastic, any thermoplastic having similarproperties may be substituted therefor.

It is to be understood that the forms of the invention herewith shownand described are to be taken as a preferred example of the same andthat various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may beresorted to without departure from the spirit of the invention or thescope of-the subjoined claims.

I claim:

1. A plastic binder for books comprising a pair of thermoplastic coversand a back connecting said covers, and a flexible book-supporting hingeconnecting said covers and spaced from said back by said covers.

2. A plastic binder for books comprising a pair of thermoplastic coversand a back connecting said covers, and a flexible book-supporting hingespaced from said back by said covers and connecting said covers on thesides thereof opposite the connecting back, said back and said hingebeing connected to said covers by heat sealing.

3. A plastic binder for books as claimed in claim 1, and wherein saidback is integral with said covers.

4. A plastic binder for books as claimed in claim 1. and wherein saidcovers and back are formed from a single sheet of plastic material.

5. A plastic binder for books comprising a pair of thermoplastic coversand a back connecting said covers, and a flexible book-supporting hingespaced from said back by said covers and connecting said covers, saidhinge comprising a strip of fabric having a thermoplastic coating on thesurface adjacent said covers.

6. The method of" forming a thermoplastic binder for books comprisingthe steps of coating one side of a fabric hinge strip adaptedto supporta book with athermop1astic,,lieat sealingtlie edges of sai d: hingestrip tothe inner edges of a pair of thermoplastic covers, andheatsealing a thermoplastic back to theouter edges of said covers in spacedrelationship to said hinge, all of said thermoplastics beingcompatible.

References Cited in the file of'this patent UNITED- STFATES PATENTSTrussell Feb. 22, 1921 Egerton Dec. 15, 1925 Fortier Sept. 7, 1937Schade Dec. 4, 1945 Schade e Mar. 24, 1953

